If you’ve ever struggled with maintaining a healthy yard, you may be surprised at how much mulching can help. Mulching has so many great benefits that will keep your yard soil healthy. In return, you’ll end up with phenomenal plant and yard growth.
There are two main types of mulch: organic and inorganic.
Inorganic mulch includes synthetic mulches that last a long time and will help your yard in many ways. While organic mulches do not last as long as synthetic mulches, they also have many great benefits that will help improve the health of your yard.
Benefits of Mulching
Yard Appearance Improvement
Mulching will improve the appearance of your yard by improving the health of your soil and adding vibrance and color to your grass, plants and garden. Mulch will make your yard appear more manicured and landscaped, increasing your home’s curb appeal.
Mulch is also great for filling in ugly empty spaces in your yard. It is very easy to maintain and some mulches even come in attractive colors that will add an individualized style to your yard.
Weed Prevention
Mulching your yard or garden will slow and prevent weed growth. It does this by blocking unwanted weeds’ access to sunlight and stunt their growth. A good layer of mulch will suffocate sprouting weeds and prevent them from growing in your yard. This is another way that mulching helps maintain yard appearance.
A clutter of weeds will make your yard look ugly and untidy, but mulch will prevent these weeds from growing and tainting your garden in the first place. This means that you don’t have to spend as much time doing backbreaking weed pulling in your yard.
Moisture Trapping
One of the most important things mulching does is trap water and moisture into your yard’s soil, a factor that is vital to the health of your yard and plants. Mulch absorbs water and traps it in, preventing it from evaporation. This means that you have to spend less time watering your yard. Rest assured that your plants will still receive the moisture they need.
Earthworm Attraction
Another great thing mulching does is attract earthworms to your soil. Organic mulching materials that trap moisture will encourage earthworms to move in, and that’s great for your garden.
Earthworms are fantastic for nutrient cycling and soil structure. They will help improve your soil so it is healthier and more fertile.
Nutrient Dispersal
Mulching is also incredibly important for dispersing and keeping nutrients in your soil. As mulch breaks down over time, it adds nutrients to topsoil. In addition, insects that live in mulch help it break down and distribute nutrients by adding by-products. A great way to continuously add mulch to your yard is buying a mulching lawn mower that provides you with fresh mulch year round.
The nutrients mulching adds to soil is great for increasing soil fertility. Overall, it will improve the health of your yard, grass and plants.
Pest Control
Certain mulching materials also help keep unwanted pests away. Certain pests and insects are turned away by mulches that have repelling oils and scents, such as cedar bark.
Look for a highly fragranced mulch that promises to keep target insects away. But make sure you are not buying a mulch that will attract insects.
Conclusion
Mulching your yard has some really great benefits that may not seem obvious. Applying a good layer of mulch to your yard or garden beds will improve yard appearance, keep your soil healthy and help you keep unwanted pests and weeds away.
Most importantly, mulching will make your yard maintenance work so much easier and will help you grow healthy plants by trapping in moisture and nutrients to help them grow. Choose a great organic mulch and watch as your yard becomes healthier.
